Lynn Whitfield

Actor

Scion of an achievement-oriented Baton Rouge clan with roots in southern black aristocracy, toothsome, energetic leading lady Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and ... Read more »

Scion of an achievement-oriented Baton Rouge clan with roots in southern black aristocracy, toothsome, energetic leading lady Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Bette Davis in "All About Eve" from the vantage of her grandmother's lap, attired in mink-trimmed frocks and seeing no reason she could not some day play those same types of roles. After gaining attention on the stage as one of the young women of color who people Ntozake Shange's poetic panorama of the black female experience, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf," Whitfield began appearing in supporting roles in such films as "Doctor Detroit" (1982) and "Silverado" (1985) but did not achieve real success until starring in television films ("The George McKenna Story," "Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI," both CBS 1986) and miniseries (the acclaimed "The Women of Brewster Place" ABC 1989).

Mrs Dennis Smith

Grandmother

Jean Butler

Mother

serving as president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency as of 1995

Valerian Butler-Smith

Brother

younger

Kimberleigh Butler-Smith

Sister

younger

Brian Gibson

Husband

British-born c. 1945 married on June 30, 1990, five days after they completed work together on "The Josephine Baker Story", for which he also won an Emmy separated in April 1992 divorced eight months later

Grace Gibson

Daughter

born on August 2, 1991 father, Brian Gibson

Shawne Langston

Sister

younger

Kweisi Mfume

Companion

former Congressman and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus former head of the NAACP dated for two years no longer together

Valerian Smith

Father

born c. 1926 died on November 18, 1992 in Baton Rouge, LA of cancer founded the Baton Rouge Playhouse in 1952 worked on the musical scores of such films as "Band of Angels" (1957) and "Hurry Sundown" (1967) and composed such musical stage productions as "Supper", "Earl K Long", "Creole Baby" and "Tribulations" moonlighted as a local talent scout and rounded up extras for location photography on "Hurry Sundown"